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The Bridal Path… 1959
You know, I’ve mentioned this film on PGC before, and I guess this time I just wanted to give this a new take. For me, this is a sit down romp around the Highlands with a bag of popcorn and Bill Travers in the driving seat. He’s just an innocent guy out looking for a wife. Well, that simplifies a plot, that’s got much more to offer, as Ewan goes from one embarrassment of character to another. I’m surprised no production company ever cottoned on to this as a show, when comedy drama in colour reached our screens in the early 70s. The likes of “Porridge” “Dads Army” and the colour episodes of Steptoe and there were many others. A lad looking for a partner and encountering funny situations, I guess would have been good for our screens.
Anyway, I like to shake out this old movie from time to time. The colour photography shot in the Highlands is truly evocative and coupled with the regretfully now demised Campbell Town Gaelic Choir who lend much to a charismatic backg…

Underneath the Arches1937 This is a film that I’ve never seen, yet its title song can revolve around in my head for all time. The song from Flanagan and Allen was most popular in its day. Although, what I do have in my collection are the original production stills in album form taken by a Twickenham Studios stills man, then rescued from a skip by a dear friend Harry Amos, who at one time was a film editor at Bray Studios. Later Harry went into Television.
Alas, I’ve yet to find a disc of this film, maybe there is no suitable print available for transfer, one can only live in hope. Meanwhile, I will content myself with my lasting album of stills put together by Twickenham’s photo department…
Checking through this album and it’s script production progress, it would seem to be another madcap adventure for Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen and the ‘Crazy Gang’. Enid is there too, providing her sensible element to the more zany antics of the remaining cast. Looking through the stills, lots of sa…

Ok For Sound 1937 This movie held a fascination for me years ago when I was researching the life of Enid Stamp Taylor. Enid features along side the Crazy Gang headed by Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen. It’s another screwball comedy set within a bankrupt film studio. By today’s comedy tastes it’s difficult to relate to, and yet there are moments within it’s production and delivery that is not so very different from today’s. Of course, it has too much song and dance that is much dated now and perhaps in a way, that’s part of its charm. I won’t give you the storyline because that’s rather here there and everywhere. Its clearly a vehicle only for the ‘Crazy Gang’ and the script making a gesture to their unique popularity of the time. If you do ever get the opportunity to watch this movie, then it would be worthy of your time and patience. Production was from Gainsborough at their Islington Studios in the days when the guys there were enjoying a real high, then screened around the Country b…

A Fire Has Been Arranged 1935. I remember owning an old VHS copy of this movie some years ago. It’s a rather odd screwball type of plot for Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen, who are a couple of crooks that decide to hide their ill-gotten gains by digging a hole in a field. They are then caught by Police for their crimes and serve 10 years imprisonment. On their release they return to collect their loot only to find that a shopping mall has been built over the ground. What serves next is a mad cap attempt to find their loot by digging up the flooring of a department store. The store becomes engulfed in fire and a team of woman fire fighters, headed by Rob Wilton, try to put the fire out. The movie includes song and dance and ends with Bud and Ches driving their wreck of a car along a rail line. Not for the faint hearted. But you gotta admit, these were great guys and great in their time… Production and distribution was from Twickenham Studios and it went out as a U Cert, so that means it…